Induction of a rat T cell lymphoma-leukemia by magnesium deficiency--a study of fetal defense against maternal neoplasia.

If Sprague-Dawley rats, 25-30 days old, are fed a diet containing 4-5 mg% of Mg, about 25% of survivors develop a large tumor of the thymus within 6-12 weeks. The tumor is composed of lymphoblasts, which seem to arise from the thymic reticuloendothelial system and, at times, disseminate as an acute T cell lymphoma-leukemia of unknown etiology. If the tumor cells are transmitted intraperitoneally to rats, 14-16 days pregnant, a local invasive and generalized disease is established in the mother but not in the fetuses or their domain. However, if the neoplastic cells are injected into the fetal domain, they colonize the fetal tissues. The colonization by tumor cells is most impressive in the extravascular structure of the placental labyrinth but not in the placental syncytiotrophoblastic zone at the maternal-placental junction. This raises the question as to whether this zone may functionally mediate not only the well-known absolute intrauterine fetal defense against maternal metastatic neoplasia, but also the defense of the fetus against maternal immunologic rejection.

Coordinated surgical and drug treatment of cancer.

Normal cells can proliferate to heal wounds while cancer cells die from chemotherapy with selected sulfhydryl (SH) inhibitors. Choice of the drugs is directed by sensitivity tests run immediately after surgery on each patient's own cancer. The SH-bearing nonhistone chromosomal proteins were predicted to play a major role in regulating genes. Much recent work now suggests that these proteins may play a key role in controlling gene expression.

Effects of selected sulfhydryl inhibitors on nonhistone chromosomal proteins of HeLa cells.

Effects of the SH inhibitor sodium iodoacetate, alone and with adjuncts menadiol diphosphate, sodium malonate, sodium fluoride and heparin, on incorporation of tryptophane-3 H into nonhistone chromosomal proteins of HeLa cells were examined. The drugs block incorporation of tryptophane-3 H into nonhistone chromosomal proteins far more than incorporation of leucine-3 H into total cellular proteins. Drug effects on thymidine phosphorylation and DNA synthesis in HeLa cells exceed corresponding effects on fibroblasts from normal healing wounds.